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ON THE 

Editions of Diego de Lattda^- Writings 

ANTHROPOLOGICAL SOCiETY 



BY,.> 



OF WASHINGTON, D. C. 



DANIEL G/^ BRINT^Nr-^^r^ 



(Bead before the American PMlosopMoal Society, Jan. 7, 1S87.) 



No document bearing upon the ancient Maya civilization of 
Yucatan surpasses in importance the work written by Diego de 
Landa, the second Bishop of the Diocese of Merida, who was a 
resident of Yucatan from 1549 until 1519, the year of his death. 
The description of the country and its inhabitants which he com- 
posed has been preserved to us in one MS. copy, now in the 
library of the Royal Academy of History, at Madrid. In the 
winter of 1863-4, the late Abbe Brasseur (de Bx)urbourg) tran- 
scribed a portion of it, and published it with notes, and a trans- 
lation into French, the following summer, under the title, Rela- 
tion des Glioses de Yucatan de Diego de Landa^ etc. (Paris, 
Arthus Bertrand, 1864). As it contained the signs of the cal- 
endar, and what purports to be the alphabet of the Maya hiero- 
glyphic writing, as well as much material relating to the customs 
of the natives, Landa's Relation at once took a leading position 
among Americana. 

The well-known peculiarities of the Abbe Brasseur, however, 
the freedom with which he dealt with his authorities, and the 
license he allowed his imagination, have always, cast an atmos- 
phere of uncertainty about his work,* and hence it was a decided 

*This general distrust with reference to tlie particular instance of ttie Landa 
MS. lias been very vigorously expressed by Dr, P. J. J. Valentini in his article 
on the Landa alphabet, in Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society for 
1880, p. 91. 



X^^^ z 



Brinton.] ■" [l&n.l, 

satisfaction to have published at Madrid, in 1884, under the 
competent supervision of Don Juan de Dios de la Rada y Del- 
gado, a literal, faithful copy of the original text. Unfortunately, 
it appears simply as an appendix to the Spanish translation of 
M. Leon de Rosnj^'s work on the hieratic writing of Central 
America, and is issued to the limited number of 200 copies, all 
large folio. It is therefore both difficult to obtain and needlessly 
expensive. Moreover, the editor, for fear of " distracting the 
reader," as he tells us, pointed out only a few of the differences 
between the correct text and that printed by Brasseur, so that 
the real value of the second edition of the text is not apparent 
until a long and toilsome comparison has been made. 

The leading position which Landa's ReJacion holds with refer- 
ence to the ancient Maya civilization has led me to examine his 
words with care, and the notes I have made will, I believe, prove 
of value to those who are engaged in the study of this remarka- 
ble people. I shall arrange these notes in three portions, as 
they refer to the two texts now printed, to the Abbe Brasseur'a 
translation with its notes, and to the hieroglyphic signs, etc., in- 
serted in the text. 

Tlie Text. 

In Brasseur's edition the text is divided into numbered sec- 
tions, each with an appropriate heading. No such arrangement 
is in the original. What is more objectionable, many of the para- 
graphs and even sections as arranged by Brasseur are entirely 
arbitrary, and do not correspond at all with the paragraphing of 
the original. Sometimes they begin in the midst of a phrase, 
cutting it in two, and destroying its meaning. 

He omits, without a word, fully one-sixth of the whole text. 
In his edition, p. 046, he concludes with the words, ogia' acaba la 
obra de Landa, " here closes the work of Landa." No such 
words are in the oi'iginal. On the contrary, the MS. he copied 
from continued with a number of cliapters, one on the reason 
why the Indians offered human sacrifices, others on the serpents, 
animals, trees, etc., of Yucatan. Of these, Brasseur saj's not a 
syllable. In copying he occasionally, but rarely, omitted sen- 
tences, doubtless through haste. An instance of this occurs, p. 
328, where three lines of the original are dropped immediately 
after the word escalera, terminating the sentence. 



1887.] i> [Brinton. 

He did not hesitate occasionally to alter the original when he 
could not get at its meaning conveniently. Thus, p. 100, he 
prints " pero que a parte de los espanoles," whereas the original 
is " iDero que entre los Espanoles," which conveys exactly the 
opposite sense. Again, p. 162, lines 2, 3, he writes " otras se 
separavan partes de su cuerpo," where the original is " se seja- 
van." Oddly enough, in the note on p. 104, he claims to have 
altered the text from "tres fiestas" to "otras fiestas," whereas 
the latter alone stands in the original. 

The proof-reading of Brasseur's Spanish text leaves something 
to be desired. On the first page I have noted three errors, vaya 
for uza, liaz el for liaz a, and hiervas for sierras, which last error 
he carries into his translation. Others, as Uamaron for llevaron, 
p. 20, line 1, and alcangaron for alancearon^ p. 16, line 10, are 
not much misleading. 

Of greater moment is his inaccuracy in both the spelling and 
translation of proper names and Maya words. I shall mention a 
few of these : 

Taiza, p. 4. This is for tah itza, "the lord or ruler of the 
Itzas." 

Ulumil Cuz y Etel Ceh, p. 6. These Maya words were un- 
derstood and translated by Brasseur as two distinct names con- 
nected by the copulative conjunction y, et, and. This is not the 
case. They form one term, the correct spelling of which is 
uluumil cutz yetel ceh^ "the land of the wild turkey and deer." 

Guzmil, p. 12. The "Swallow-island," ah-cuzamil pelen, ac- 
cording to the Diccionario Maya-Espanol del Gonvento de 
Motid, MS-i was also called Oycen and Oyoib. In these names 
cen means " ornament," and ci6, " wax," while the prefix oy is an 
interjection. 

Maya^ p. 14. The form adopted by Brasseur, Ma-ay-7ia, 
meaning "there is no water," is incorrect. This phrase in the 
Yucatecan tongue is Ma yan ha. For a more plausible deriva^ 
tion of the word Maya^ see The Maya Chronicles^ p. 16 (Phila- 
delphia, 1880, vol. I of Brinton's Library of Aboriginal Ameri- 
can Literature). 

The names of the idols mentioned, p. 16, read in the original 
Ixhunie^ and Ixhunieta^ not Ixbunie, etc. The prefix ix in all 
four names is the feminine particle. The meanings are : 



Brlnton.] * [Jau. 7, 

Tx-cheJ, the Lady of the Rainbow, or "of the Cheles." 
Ix-chehel-yax, the Lady of the green (blue) feathers. 
Ix-hun-yei, the one chosen Lady. 
Ix-hun-yeta, the Lady with the one adornment. 

MocJicovoh, p. ]8. The Covohes are referred to, p. 12, as the 
ni me of the tribe near Champolon. The word Covoh is applied 
to a poisonous spider found in Yucatan, and here probably has 
a totemic signification. It is still, sa^s Dr. Berendt, a common 
family name among the Mayas. 

On p. 30, the original has Cochnah instead of Cochuah; but 
til. latter is probably correct, being a simple compound of coch, 
broad (»r large, :ind !/a/;, bread or tortilla. Hocahaihumun has 
no teiminal n in the original. The proper form I expect is 
Hi cc(J) l-hunhwn^ "cosa asentada en el suelo cada afio," referring 
tojjiC year-stones which were annually set up. 

»tXr;(:7?,, p. o2, orig. Tihoch. The former is correct. It means 
"at (the place of) the castor-oil plants" (^i, at, xkoch or koch^ 
the Eicinis communis'). 

Mai, p. 42. This word means ordinarily snuff, or pulverized 
tobficco. Biasseur, in his note, derives from it the name Maya, 
furgetting that on p. 14 he had assigned a ditferent etymology. 

Tutidxiu, p. 46. On the derivation of this name see The 
3Iaya Chronicles, p. 109. 

Qilan, p. 52. The proper form is oilaan, and means something 
filled, realized, perfected, attested, etc. 

Chicaca, p. 70. Brasseur sa3's that Cogolludo calls this prov- 
ince Chavacha-Hda. This is inaccurate. Cogolludo's words 
are "Choaca, que los Indies llaman Chuuachaa " (Hist, de Yu- 
cathan, Lib. II, ca]). viii). This is a compound of chauac, large, 
great, and ha, water. 

Vaviuxchel^ip. 76. The original has Namuxchel. The correct 
form may be JVfflmac/i C/ze/, the distinguished Chel; or Vamac 
Chel, some one of the Chels, or, he who is a Chel. 

Copn, p. 148, is the Ficus rubiyinosa (Aznar, Plantas de 
Yucatan, p. 231). 

Iztahte, p. 184, stands for yitz tahtc, which is the native name 
for turpentine. 

Mitnal, p. 200, is spelled by Beltran, A7'te de la Lengua Maya, 
Melnal. Brasseur's derivation from Nahuatl Miction is probable. 



1887.] ^ [Brinton. 

Ixtab, p. 202. Compounded of the feminine prefix ix, and 
tab, whicii as a verb means "to tie to something," and as a noun, 
the gallows. 

Uinal-Han-Ekeh, p. 204. In the original this reads Vinal, 
Hunekeh. Of these words uinal is the ordinary Maya word for 
month; Ziun is "one"; but e/je^ does not appear in any of the 
dictionaries. Perez Dice. Maya, gives Keh as "the seventh 
day." 

Zacab, p. 212. Brasseur explains this in a note as "une sorte 
de mais moulu"; but the Diccionario de 3fotul, gives gakab, 
" la caiia del mais," cornstalk. The name of the deity, therefore, 
was "The ISTine Cornstalks." On the same page, zacah is in the 
usual form gaca, and is pulverized roasted maize mixed with 
cold water, Xante, on the same page, is not the cedar, as the 
editor supposes, which in Maya is Kache, but " a tree from 
whose roots the natives obtain a yellow dye " (^Dicc. Motul'^ 

Kauil, p. 216, does not 'appear in the dictionaries. The Abbe's 
suggestion that it is an error for Kabul is possibly correct; or 
it may be for Kauai, which means one who is very choice in food 
and raiment (Dice. Ilotul). 

Batel-okot, ]). 218, xnesins "battle dance." The similarity of 
the Maya batel or bateel, to battle, a battle, to the English I have 
elsewhere noted as an odd coincidence. 

Ghaean-cantun, pp. 220, 222. The original has chacaeantun, 
and also Canzienal in place of Canziemal in Brasseur's text. 

On p. 222 and elsewhere instead of zac-u-uayeyab, the original 
text gives uniformly Zacuuayayab. 

The Translation. 

Bishop Landa's writings on this subject were evidently mere 
memoranda, jotted down to await future arrangement and re- 
vision. The copyist contributed to their obscurit}?-, so that 
passages of his ReJacion present peculiar difficulties, some of 
which have led his translator wide of the mark. I shall point 
out some of the most notable of these. 

p. 4. "tienemucha lama"; "la plage y est tres etendue"; 
more correctly "a beaueoup de limon." 

p. 16. "que por esto le llamaron Lazaro"; "qneles Espag- 
nols appellent de Lazare"; better "et pour cela ils I'appellent 
Lazaro.'''' 



Brinton.] O [Jan. 7, 

p. 24. "seis soles" is translated " trois soleils." 

p. ;52. "tres cuentas de piedra buenas"; '"trois objets de 
pierre bleu travailles." It is not easy to see where this sense 
was obtained. 

p. 74. The space left blank at the beginning of § xiii is un- 
necessary, and there is no need to supply a supposed omission. 
The sense is " The adelantado did not occupy tlie best position for 
one who had enemies," etc. 

p. 116, line 1. The words "les parecia miiy mal," do not 
mean "bien qu'elle leur parat mauvaise," but "ce qui les defigu- 
rait beaucoup." Later, on the same page, "cuero de venado por 
curlir seco," does not mean " cuir de betes fauves tanne a sec," 
but "de cuir sec de chevreuil." 

p. 136. " Llamanse aora los nombres de Pilar los proprios"; 
" Leurs noms propres aujourd'hui sont comme Pilar," etc. This 
is a singular mistranslation. The baptismal font in Spanish is 
pila, and "nombres de pila" means "christened names." The 
meaning evidently is "they now call themselves by their baptis- 
mal names." 

p. 158. Speaking of the wooden idols which descended from 
father to son, Landa says they were considered the most valua- 
ble part of the heritage, "tenidos por lo principal dela herencia." 
Tliis Brasseur translates "ils y avaient la plus grand confianee." 

On p. 1 74 there are two important errors. Line 2, "los quales 
llaman holcane.^^^ does not mean "a I'appel des holcans,^^ but 
"qu'on appellait holcans^^; and " que a essos holcanes sino era 
en tiempo de guerra no davan soldada," means that the holcans 
did not receive pay except in time of war, and not at all " Quant 
aux holcans, ils n'amenaient point la milice hors du temps de la 
guerre." 

Equally incorrect is the translation of the description of the 
manner in which the natives wore their mantle, p. 186. But it 
will not be profitable to continue pointing out sucli slips. I have 
said sufiicient to show tliat Brasseur's translation must be care- 
fully compared with the Spanish text before it is accepted. 

A very curious error in translation occurs on pp. 48 and 172, 
but this time it must be charged to the account, not of the 
Abb(5, but of the Bishop himself. On p. 48, bottom, there is the 
extraordinary statement that as an article of defensive ai'mor 



1?87.] * [Brinton. 

the natives wore "jacos fuertes de sal y de algodon," "strong 
jackets (made) of salt and cotton 1" And this is repeated, p. 
172, with the specific addition that these jackets were "quilted 
doubly with salt for grinding P^ No wonder the Ahbe was non- 
plussed by this outrageous assertion 1 (See his note to p. 49.) 
The explanation is interesting. The word in the Maya language 
for salt is taab, while that for a twisted strand or cord is tab, the 
only difference being in the length of the vowel. Evidently 
Bishop Landa, or the person from whom he derived his infor- 
mation, mistook the native description of these quilted jackets. 
They were of cotton and tioisted cords (tab), the layers of the 
former being quilted to the latter. The historian of Yucatan, 
Father Cogolludo, refers to them, stating that they were called 
by the Mexicans (Nahuas), ichcavipiles. This is a sound Na- 
huatl word, found in Molina's Vocabulario, and shows that the 
same defense was known and employed by the Aztecs. It was 
also familiar to the tribes of Maya lineage in Guatemala. 

The Hay a Characters. 

A close comparison of the various Maya characters printed in 
Brasseur's edition with those in the Madrid copy proves that in 
the main his tracings were accurate. 

The Calendar beginning on p. 240 reveals, however, a number 
of minor differences. All of Brasseur's characters tend more to 
the circular form than those in the later edition which are ap- 
proximately quadrangular. Occasionally points of detail differ 
considerably, as for instance, on p. 24 0, the signs /a; and Gib. 
The lines for the month signs are much fainter and sharper in 
Brasseur, and that of the month Minan is incomplete, lacking a 
bracket-shaped appendage to the left. 

The Katun-wheel on p. 312 in the Madrid edition has the in- 
scription in its centre. The Maya words should read u uazaklom 
Katun, " their return the Katuns," i. e., the return or revolution 
of the Katuns. Brasseur translates the Spanish rendering of 
this, "gerra de los Katunes " by "la guerre on le jeu des Ka- 
tuns." The word gerra means neither game nor war, but is dia- 
lectic for gira or giro, from girar, to turn around. 

In the important matter of the alphabet on p. 320, Brasseur 
makes only one serious error, that is, that he places the first 
form of the letter b (No. 4 of his list) lengthwise instead of up- 



Brinlon.] "^ [Jan. 7, 1887. 

right. He was led into what I think was another error by the 
disposition of the letters in the MS. As the Madrid edition 
gives a photo-lithograph of the two pages of the original text 
containing the alphabet and its explanation, we are in a position 
to examine it satisfactorily. The figures are arranged in three 
parallel lines across the page, and the two figures for ti, stand, 
the first at the end of one line, the second at the beginning of 
the next. From their evident connection with the sign for the 
sky at night, I am of opinion that they belong together as mem- 
bers of the same sign. Or did either member of the pictographic 
composite serve as indicating its phonetic value ? 

The designs of buildings as given by Brasseur, pp. 328, 332, 
342, are much neater and more regular than in the original, 
where they are simply out-lined with a pen neither steady nor 
skillful. The disposition of the parts is, however, the same in 
both. 

From these remarks it will be seen that Don Juan de Dios de 
la Rada y Delgado has laid students of Maya culture under posi- 
tive obligations by this new and complete edition of Landa's 
most important work, and it should find a place in those public 
and private libraries which aim to have at all a complete list of 
consulting Americana. 



LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 



016 013 622 4 ^ 



